Grease coating fixture



Dec. 5, 1967 A. MERTWOY 3,356,065

GREASE COATING FIXTURE Filed June 29, 1966 INVENTOR. ABRAHAM MERTWOY BY-li M 1M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,356,065 GREASE (IOATING FEHURE Abraham Mertwoy, Dresher, Pa., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed June 29, 1966, Ser. No. 562,448 3 Claims. (Cl. 118-407) This invention relates to a grease coating fixture and, more particularly, to a fixture having a simple arrangement for providing lubricant test rods with a substantially even distribution of grease coating.

Another advantageous feature of the invention is to provide such a grease coating upon test rods that are not purely symmetrical and which when rotated do not have a perfectly true axis of rotation.

Basically the grease coating fixture has a frame with an opposed pair of horizontally spaced sidewalls and an opposed pair of horizontally extending members interconnecting respective end portions of the sidewalls, a shaft journalled in one of the sidewalls and extending horizontally within the frame, a chuck carried by the shaft, a test rod mounted in the chuck and having its outer surface indiscriminately and lightly coated with a predetermined amount of grease, means on the shaft for rotating the shaft, chuck and rod, a grease spreading blade having an edge overlying the rod along a substantial portion of its longitudinal axis, and minute protuberances on end portions of the blade edge in engagement with the rod outer surface.

The fixture may also include a pair of horizontally spaced alignment rods that extend upwardly from the blade through one of the members, and a spring encompassing each of the alignment rods and extending between the blade and the one member.

Further, the fixture may have a blade rod, pivotally connected to a blade at a mid-portion thereof, that extends upwardly through the one member, and means on the blade rod for raising and locking the blade in an elevated position.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a grease coating fixture embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the blade as shown in FIG. 1.

The aluminum frame, shown generally at (FIG. 1), includes an opposed pair of horizontally spaced sidewalls 11, 12 whose respective end portions are rigidly interconnected by an opposed pair of horizontally extending members 13, 14. Preferably, a bearing block 15 is appropriately secured to sidewall 12 for purposes of journalling horizontal shaft 16 that extends within the frame and carries a suitable chucking apparatus 17 in which a test rod 18 is mounted. Shaft knob or handle 19 conveniently provides a means for rotating the shaft 16, chuck 17 and test rod 18. It is contemplated that the shaft receiving opening in a sufficiently sturdy sidewall 12 could incorporate the journalling feature, thus eliminating the need for bearing block 15.

A grease spreading blade 20 is suitably pivoted at 21 to blade rod 22 which extends upwardly through an appropriate slidably receiving aperture in member 13, by virtue of which the blade 20 normally overlies and rests upon test rod 18 directly over a substantial portion of its longitudinal axis 23 (FIG. 2). Enlarged knob or handle 24 on the blade rod provides means for raising and controllingly lowering the blade. Preferably, a block 25 of predetermined size is positioned upon member 13 directly under knob 24 to maintain a lock blade 20 in an elevated position, thereby facilitating operation of chuck 17 during chucking and dechucking of successive test rods 18. Alignment rods 26, 27, suitably secured to blade 20, extend upwardly through appropriate openings in member 13. Springs 28, 29, encompassing corresponding rod 26, 27, extend between the upper surface of blade 20 and the lower surface of member 13. The end portions of blade edge 30 are provided with minute protuberances 31, 32 (FIG. 3) which engage with or rest upon the test rod 18 in an over-center relationship.

By means of a spatula or the like, a deposit 33 (FIG. 2) of grease is indiscriminately and lightly spread across the outer surface of rod 18. By use of rotatable handle 19, rod 18 is slowly rotated, with the result that the grease is spread with a substantially even distribution of predetermined lubricant coating depth as determined by the space between the rod 18 and blade edge 30 in its operative lowered position.

In cases Where the test rod is not precisely symmetrical so as to have a true axis of rotation, substantially the same type of coating is provided with the pips 31, 32 of the pivoted blade adapted to maintain contact with or follow the contour of rod 18.

Various modifications, changes or alterations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A grease coating fixture for lubricant test rods comprising,

a frame having an opposed pair of horizontally spaced sidewalls and an opposed pair of horizontally extending members interconnecting respective end portions of said sidewalls,

a shaft journalled in one of said sidewalls and extending horizontally within said frame,

a chuck carried by said shaft,

a test rod mounted in said chuck and having its outer surface indiscriminately and lightly coated with a predetermined amount of grease,

means on said shaft for rotating said shaft, chuck and rod,

a grease spreading blade having an edge overlying said rod along a substantial portion 'of its longitudinal axis, and

minute protuberances on end portions of said edge in engagement with said rod outer surface.

2. The structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein a pair of horizontally spaced alignment rods extend upwardly from said blade through one of said members, and

a spring encompassing each of said alignment rods and extending between said blade and said one member.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 in which a blade rod is pivotally connected to said blade at a mid-portion thereof and extends upwardly through said one member, and means on said blade rod for raising and locking said blade in an elevated position.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. J. P. MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GREASE COATING FIXTURE FOR LUBRICANT TEST RODS COMPRISING, A FRAME HAVING AN OPPOSED PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED SIDEWALLS AND AN OPPOSED PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING MEMBERS INTERCONNECTING RESPECTIVE END PORTIONS OF SAID SIDEWALLS, A SHAFT JOURNALLED IN ONE OF SAID SIDEWALLS AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY WITHIN SAID FRAME, A CHUCK CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT, A TEST ROD MOUNTED IN SAID CHUCK AND HAVING ITS OUTER SURFACE INDISCRIMINATELY AND LIGHTLY COATED WITH A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF GREASE, 